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PLD Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15: Just A Little More Time Enjoying the Peace/Return to the King's Castle Sub-Entry 141: "Gears Don't Just Make Good Eye Candy, They Make Music": I was packed and ready to go at a moment's notice. I had no method of contacting or being contacted by the Boss Monsters of the Underground. However Command was keeping a secret telemetry eye on them from afar in case something big went down while I was in Miranda City. Command was keeping quiet so things were probably still okay. Still...I didn't want to leave Asgore alone for too long. Chara had a decent amount of time to recover from the butt-kicking we'd given her. I wanted to make sure to weaken her enough that she wouldn't escape. What I really needed at the moment was to re-enforce my mental and emotional state. I could not waver even the slightest in a battle with a possessed Asgore. I needed to firmly plant in my heart, mind, and soul what I was fighting for. And that meant embracing the time I had with Asriel and the others until I felt I was ready. "You're always collecting gears, Gadget. What do you even do with them?" "Well. Let me show you!" Gadget lead us through the various sub-lab sections until she brought us to a remote sub-lab with her name on the door plate. She opened the door and we stepped inside... ...into a room filled with the overwhelming sound of machinery and the sights of gears, sprockets, cogs, flywheels, pinions, and crown-wheels put together in a working assembling of metal and mechanics. My jaw dropped. As did Asriel's. "H..how many gears did you say you had, little sister?" "Well...this batch makes one-million, nine-hundred...three." "One...!" "M-M-M-MILLION!?!" "Yeah, I know. I'm working on making it bigger." "B-B-B-BIGGER?!" "That's...er...great." Gadget yanked a lever and a large assembly of gears disengaged from the surrounding sections. There were a number of unoccupied shafts among the metal work. Gadget sorted through her box and slipped some gears onto the posts and secured them with screws. "There." Gadget reengaged the mechanism and the gears went about spinning. "Ahhh!" Gadget's expression brightened even more. "Isn't it wonderful?" "Yes! It is!" Asriel agreed. "What does it do?" ".....do?" Gadget blinked. "It's...supposed to do something? Huh...I knew there was something I was forgetting..." We all laughed. "Well...it's the world's largest Do-Nothing-Machine." "And it is mesmerizing to watch." Gadget nodded in agreement. "Well..it may not do much..." Gadget led us to a different room where Violet was standing by. "But Mr. Rotor and Miss Lupe helped me build a replica of something that does do something pretty cool." "What is it?" Asriel examined the array of microphones around the wooden machine. It was then I noticed the hundred of metal marbles running throughout the machine in clear hoses, runners, scoops, conveyor belts, and waterwheels. It stood on four table legs and I could see the multitude of electrical plugs and amplifier hardware in the back leading to some external cables...and the pickups on a makeshifted bass guitar in the machine. It was made of mostly wood. I could see a set of metal xylophone bars. A system of funnels lined the machine. He read the plate on the side. "Wintergatan Marble Machine?" :detemmienation: (Music Video Link) "Violet, are you saying you built a working copy of Francesco Taskayali's machine? Completely from visual and audible memory?" Violet grinned and slipped on her headphones geared for rabbit ears with the speakers on the top of the band. She grabbed hold of the crank and started cranking gesturing for us to be quiet. She yanks multiple levers labeled "snare", "kick", "hi-hat", "bass", etc. She glanced at the sheet music of the original artist, designer, and maker of the machine and got to work playing, fingering the chords on the bass guitar while the marbles began to move throughout the machine, striking the chimes, xylophone bars, bass strings, and percussion, systematically. This thing was like a music box taken to an entirely different level. I don't know who was the greater genius. Francesco Taskayali for inventing it and giving the original performance or Violet and the group for copying it down to the last piece of wood. And so we listened to Vi's concert. Gadget and Asriel watched with starry eyes. Gadget rippled her tail as Asriel wagged his. The glee was obvious. Who said low tech toys don't draw this generation's attention? Not I, says me. About mid way through Vi yanked the lever marked "Brakedown" and stopped the motion of the drive assembly then manually worked the chimes at the top of the machine before re-engaging everything and cranking it up again. She kept it going a bit longer before she reset a couple levers then stepped back from the machine and let the momentum of the main crank wind down as the song slowed down to a stop. Asriel gave her a gesture consisting of a "stop" gesture turned sideways with one hand and an "okay" sign with the other, letting her know it was that moment when a music session was done "juuuust right". I felt like he was channeling a meme from somewhere, but no matter. We all agreed. It was nice. Sub Entry 142: "It's Not What You're Remembered For That Counts, It's Who Remembers You and Who You Remember": We stopped by Rock-Afire Pizza afterward, letting Gadget and Violet get back to their work. We were soon joined by Lupe who gladly joined us in meeting with Mitzi. Mitzi was by the jukebox, taking a break from the counter when we walked in. "Mitzi? Is everything okay?" "Hmm?" "You seem off on a cloud." "Just a little...nostalgic for the old days." "Well I can tell that from the music lineup. You only play "End of the World" and "When Will I Be Loved" when you're missing the old days." Mitzi walked back behind the counter and got the three of us each a root beer float. "That obvious, huh?" "I'm...sorry I don't have much to say to comfort you." "It's okay, little guy. Even if you had been born on our world, it would have been before your time." "Technically it just barely hit the years during my childhood." Mitzi nodded. "Nermal wanted you to see us at our best...live our dream while we still had time left in the spotlight." I nodded. "Well. I don't want to get too distracted with all the memories so I'll get your pizza orders in. The usual?" "Of course." Lupe nodded. "You know what the two of us like." I said with a wink. "Double pepperoni with extra sauce!" Asriel reminded. Mitzi giggled and got started on them then loaded them in the ovens. It was about that time that her cell phone rang. Not the store phone, rather but the one on her person. "Hmm?" She cocked her head as she looked like she recognized the caller ID. "Hello?" Her eyes widened a little. "Janet! Oh my gods, I can't believe it! It's so good to hear from you! How have you been? Uh-uh. Uh-huh. Yeah, I am. I run a pizzaria on Fontraile. What about you?" Mitzi muttered something about missing the days she could coil her finger around the phone cord. I had a feeling Asriel wanted to ask if phones really used to have "cords". "Well, I'm glad you're making ends meet and I hope you find something more definitive. But hey, it's great catching up. I remember when we went on tour with you guys. We were your opening act, remember? Oh yeah. The Rock-Afire Explosion and the Electric Mayhem on the Electric Explosion tour." I did a double take. Did she say..."Electric Mayhem"? "How's Dr. Teeth these days? What's he up to? Really? Piano lessons. Huh. He still hang out with Rolfe. I mean Rolfe T. Dog, not our Rolfe. Good. Good for them. And Floyd Pepper? Nice. Glad he's doing well. What about Zoot? ......oh....sorry to hear that. Jang, huh? Yeah, they don't mess around when you get busted for something in Jang. At least he'll get to keep his saxophone when he gets out." A pause. "No reunions, huh? Yeah...I saw the show on a MeScreen Video. Yeah...won't be the same without Animal. I mean he was always so wild, crazy, and unpredictable. Hard to believe that a few years of yoga and time among monks made him so low key he's not the same person any more. Yeah. I'll miss him too. But at least his anger issues are under control, y'know?" Mitzi smiled a bit. "Yeah...we had a good run with a lot of groups. The Holograms. The Seville Brothers and the Miller Sisters...what did they call themselves again? Oh and that garage band that used to practice at the old H&S Storage depot. A lot of fun times. Well. It was good to talk to again and I hope to hear from you some time soon. Give my best to the others if anybody's still around......oh yeah...I remember that. "Together again..."." Mitzi giggled again. "See you later. Bye...bye." "You guys toured with Electric Mayhem?" I blinked. "What's...Electric Mayhem?" "A band on an old variety TV show I used to watch as a kid. A lot of sketches and talent done in this old theater building. I remember it had a lot of comedy, a lot of musical numbers, a lot of good wholesome family fun, and for some reason...I remember a guy who threw fish. All while being heckled by two elderly men in the balcony." "Oh, you mean Waldorf and Statler. I don't remember what happened to them. But yeah. We had some good times then." The timer went off at that moment and Mitzi got our orders out of the oven. "You know...maybe that's just what I needed. Not so much to be remember for what we did...but to remember who we did it with. I guess what I'm saying is...it's good that our old friends still remember us." "I'll drink to that." I said as I raised my root beer float. "I don't know anything about it...but me too." Asriel did the same. Sub Entry 143: "He's Playing Piano...Terribly": The next day Violet had decided to start up on giving Asriel piano lessons. Sort of pick up where Undyne had left off...hopefully with better results. "Nervous about taking lessons again?" "Well...not so much as that. Kinda nervous about what kind of a teacher Violet's going to be." Asriel looked down at his feet as we stopped outside her door. "Admittedly I'm a little worried myself. There's a method to Vi's madness and I have yet to figure it out." "I hope she goes easy on me." "How bad could things get--" I started as I opened the door a crack and heard Violet's voice ring out. "AHH, HOLY SH--(FLOWEY CACKLE)! That was f--(FLOWEY CACKLE)-ing TERRIBLE! You made me want to soil myself. That performance was so bad it's unfit to bury next to Seymour Cheese's skeleton chained to the palm tree on Extra's Island!" And then there was the sound of a vase crashing against the wall and shattering. Asriel shrunk back. "Is it too late to change my mind?" "GET OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT, BEFORE I REAAAALLY GET MAD! AND NO. BACK. TALK." Geeze, Violet. An impression of Sergeant Hooks from Police Academy 5, now? THe door swung open and Al Dente trudged out, whimpering. "......" "Oh! Hey buuuuuddy!" Violet waved cheerfully as she greeted Asriel with her best Paulie Shore impression. "Don't mind Al. He was just LEAVING. And trailing his shame behind him." Al looked over his shoulder at us. "Don't worry about messing up, little guy. Mistakes are perfectly natural. But we learn from them and get better." She said mussing his hair. "What about--" Al started. "I said MISTAKES, not horrible blights on hybrid society!" Violet snapped with fire in her eyes. "As it stands, Asriel is more qualified than you and he hasn't even had his first lesson yet. What lesson are you on again? Oh yeah. Whichever wasted paycheck out of your checkbook you owe me. And it better not bounce or you're a dead mother!" Alfred backed away. "Soon as lessons are done, you can have a few free games in the arcade upstairs. Cool?" "Sure, Aunt Vi." I probably should have called Violet on favoritism between students...but...I just couldn't help but feel like Dente did something really bad to deserve this treatment. Past experiences tended to prove he often did. Chances are there were people who were REALLY pissed off at him on the other side of the world. "C'mon, Vi. Al can't possibly be that bad." "Oh no?" Violet rewound the audio recording she made of Al's practice and hit play. OH. MY. GOD. JUST......NO. NO. "...comment withdrawn." I said as I held my ears in pain. Asriel did the same. "I don't know why the man wants to learn. I've heard of students who have no talent. But Al is the first person to have NEGATIVE talent. He literally un-invents the instrument." "Suddenly you're the one I'm feeling sorry for, Vi. My condolences for putting up with that." "I could withstand a student playing like that, but not one who's a complete a-(FLOWEY LAUGH)-hole in life. The palace has had to make more public apologies for when he's gone rogue with his unauthorized security measures in the last month than most governments have in their lifetimes. We still have to compensate an entire hockey team for their dental bills. Spoiler alert: They didn't lose their teeth on the ice. We'll be deducting the cost of several pairs of pliers from his salory for the next couple of pay days." Asriel covered his mouth and muffled a whimper as he got a bigger picture of Al Dente's interrogation techniques. This jerk's methods would be too extreme for the C.I.A. Al didn't see people. He saw suspects. With agendas...and probably guns, drugs, and communist plots to take over the government; and with that about 100 reasons to deport anyone that wasn't a registered citizen. Or worst of all... bad tourist reviews. Yeah...the thought of Edoropia being declared a place to stay the away from (thus killing its tourist economy) worried him more than Violet's well-being or happiness. "Just get him to retire before the waterboardings start. And no, Asriel, you may not ask what that is." "Well with that out of the way. Why don't you show me what you can do?" And after a bit I was pleasantly surprised as was Violet. Undyne wasn't that bad of a teacher. Asriel wasn't bad at all. With Violet's help he could be great. "Oh yeah. There's a lot to work with here. You're gonna do just fine, Cinnamon Roll." And with that things just went smooth as glass. Sub Entry 144: "Art Mom"/"White Light Is All the Colors of the Rainbow Put Together": Asriel's piano lessons were going swimmingly. It was a nice day to be outside and we enjoyed a nice relaxing sit at the fountain. "Hmm?" Asriel turned to see something floating in the air. "That looks like...!" Sure enough it was an artist's canvas. That could only mean one thing. "Mom." Asriel whispered. "Shhhh. Let's not move around too much. She's painting." I watched and sure enough the artist kit nearby opened up and the brushes sorted around. Containers of paint opened and various colors were dabbed on the wooden palette and mixed. Then the painting began. As the picture began to take shake it was rather easy for Asriel to keep still. He was completely mesmerized by the colorful scene taking shape in still form. I began to really appreciate how much culture we were bringing into our little ex-prince's life. We had gotten him enrolled in school. We were willing to answer his questions as best we could. He was getting music lessons and taking in art. Though...it was questionable what kind of impact some of 'our' (Violet's) nostalgia was having on him. But I guess it's all good. I began to worry less about Asriel finding his niche...his interests...his hobbies. With what we emersed him in, he'd find that one thing that was him and only him sooner or later. Hard to believe it was almost half a year and he hadn't zeroed in on that one favorite interest above all others. "Mom is so amazing." I heard him whisper. Callista's portrait of the square slowly took shape. It was amazing how amazing the detail was. And before long... "There." Callista faded back into existence. "Let's let you dry for a bit." "Wow..." Asriel studied the painting all the more closer. "Golly! I didn't even notice there was a rainbow out!" He looked up in the sky and sure enough there was a beautiful rainbow out. "Yeah...it rained earlier today so...there would be a rainbow now that that sun's out." "Hello, Asriel. How's my little bundle of joy?" "Aww, mom. You're embarrassing me!" "I'm your mother. I can embarrass you at any time." Callie said a little lightheartedly. "Besides. It keeps you humble. You know it means that I love you, right?" "Yeah." At that moment our favorite psionic Ebon rabite suddenly floated over and nestled atop Callista's head. "You've been rabite-hatted, Mom!" Asriel beamed. "Hi, Marie!" "Heh. Callie and Marie. I feel like moments away from Violet making some kind of reference here. One that probably involves squids." I mused. "Chuu!" Marie cot comfy and engaged in psychic conversation with Callista for a bit. Which gave Asriel and I time to converse a bit. "You like your rainbows a lot, don't you?" "Yeah. I always liked a lot of colors. We didn't have real rainbows back in the Underground so...we'd use magic to create them. I used to wish I could be a superhero with rainbow colored attacks--" Oh gods. Please tell me he wasn't describing the Absolute God of Hyperdeath. "...I remember showing Chara a drawing I came up with for it. She called it the Absolute God of Hyperdeath." "........." Subject change. Please. "Anyway...sometimes...I wish I weren't so plain-looking." "Plain-looking?" "Yeah. Look at me. I'm all white. It looks...kinda boring." I smiled. "Asriel. Let me let you in on a little secret...with the help of SCIENCE." I reached into my lab coat pocket and pulled out a prism. "Hmm?" "A flashlight makes white light, correct?" "Yeah?" I pulled a tiny pen light and shined it through the prism onto the ground, creating a rainbow. "But what you might not know is rainbows are what you get when you split white light into its component parts. White light is just all colors of the rainbow put together. You need something like a prism or the right amount of moisture in the atmosphere to refract the light and split it apart like so." "Ohhhh!" "So in a way, Asriel...a little white goat monster like you is all the colors of the rainbow. Put together." And as an afterthought I booped his snoot. That put a smile on his face. "Science is so cool! And so are you, Volt." "Well. Above average." I winked. Sub-Entry 145: "Return to the King": I loaded everything I'd need into the Deloreon. I gave Asriel a final hug goodbye. He, Callista, and Scott bid me farewell before heading off. "Oh! Can't forget this." I snagged the Sunflower from the vase I had been keeping it in to keep it from wilting and slipped it back into my lab coat pocket, having trimmed the stem just slightly at the bottom. "Hmm." I smiled then got in the car. I pulled out of the garage and drove out of town until I could get to a stretch of empty road in between civilization. "Okay. Time to break some speed laws." I hit the hover conversion and took the the sky, gave the car some gas and let the speed climb until I hit 88 miles per hour. And I was off... ...and I reappeared in the Underground. I maintained the cloak and flew my way to Hotland. "I never get bored of coming here. Temperature's nice. Nice and toastyyyyyyy." Yup. Let a Mortal Kombat reference slip out. This is me not caring. Nyeh. But in all seriousness I felt inclined to check in first with Alphys before I decided to ask Toriel or Undyne for help. And I was hoping to keep Papyrus as far out of the loop as possible. I sympathized with Undyne too much to allow him into a dangerous situation. It's not that I had doubts about his power and ability. He was actually rather capable in battle With Chara around, he'd be way too easy a target. I hated to admit it but his big heart would make him way too easy to exploit. She would tear him to pieces once she got him to lower his guard. And if anything happened to Papyrus...I wasn't looking forward to what anyone was in for if they crossed Sans afterward. "Hmm." Speaking of the lazybones...I was still on edge. Even though he was usually sleeping nearly every time I encountered him....even though he told his bad jokes and puns and kept that mild-mannered indifference about him...I couldn't help but feel like he was putting me under the microscope with those beady dots within his eye sockets. Similar to Papyrus, his eye sockets weirdly changed shape when he winked or closed his gaze to the outside world. Very strange. I decided to park on the roof and make my way down the various floors of the lab. There must've been some kind of interference coming from the building because I noticed the cloaking field that kept me and the car intangible fluxuated before collapsing entirely. "Darn it." I frowned. "Okay. I don't think anyone will check up here so...maybe it'll be okay. Still...I'd prefer it if I left nothing up to chance." I was about to head to the rooftop doorway when it swung open and there was Alphys. "Oh, y-you're here!" "..." You just happened to head to the roof at that time? I wonder how extensive your surveillance really was? I was getting Violet vibes. "Doctor. I'll put the pleasantries on hold, as I'm certain time is of the essence--" "SQUEE!!!" I whirled as Dr. Alphys was already examining the Deloreon with the kind of fascination she'd reserve for a new anime. "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! Is this it? Of c-course, it is! It's so...otherworldly! What's its flux dispursal ratio? Oh my! Is this aluminum framework and stainless steel hull? UWAAAH! A working WORMHOLE EMITTER!" "Alphys, you're seriously undermining the agreement I made with my mentor about keeping his prototype low key. "A.....A.......A.......WORKING.....FLUX.....C-C-CAPACITOR?!?" I facepalmed. "Alphys...." I growled. "Chara." Alphys snapped out of it at that. "Oh....r-r-right." We headed back down to the stairwell to the levels below and to the ground floor, passing by Alphy's upper workstation area. I wished I could tune out the giant surveillance feed of me on the big high definition monitor. Even in your own home turf you had video cameras going, Alphys. A table covered with blueprints, empty instant noodle containers, and all the things an anime fanatic would treasure. A computer tagged with post-it notes. A refrigerator...and a huge bag of.......dog food. Oh. Right. That. I think it would be extraordinarily dangerous for Violet and Alphys to meet. Alphys opened the door to the levels below. I followed. We took the elevator straight down. I found myself in...those corridors again. Dimly lit. Unlike the other encounters, the power was on but the lights were in energy-saving mode. The monitors in the walls were already displaying Alphys' lab notes. "The True Lab." "You don't seem very...disoriented." "Yeah. I've been down here a lot of times. In other timelines. Outside time in space so...you and the other instances of the kid didn't see me." "Other...?" Alphys blinked. "Yeah...this...timeline has likely been reset several times. Maybe...that's why it's unstable. It's possible part of its chronostructure may share similarities with the Genocide Timeline I previously visited--" "G-g-g-genocide?" "...yeah....probably...shouldn't talk too much about it." I skimmed over each entry. It was a perfect outline of how a bright-eyed, optimistic Alphys descended into the secretive, self-doubting, ball of of awkward and shame she was now. It's a wonder she hadn't worried herself to the point of...falling. Yes. In THAT way. *sigh* "Nn..." Alphys looked away. "Really want to make sure no one listens in, huh?" "I...d-d-don't like to t-t-take chances." Paranoid, Alphys? "Good idea. But...do we really have to go to the--" We turned down several corridors. "Alphys, I'm pretty sure this isn't the way to the Power Room--" I stopped short when noticed the mirrors and the table full of potted golden flowers. "Alphys...you didn't lead us here by mistake, did you?" Sub Entry 146: "These Are My Confessions": I heard her sniffle. "...you said before...you know about them.......about...him." "Let's just get to the point. Yeah. I'm about to entrust you with my deepest secrets. Just as you're entrusting me now. Understand one thing. You can never...ever...EVER tell King Asgore or Queen Toriel or even anyone in the kingdom about this. This stays in this lab room. This is non-negotiable, no exceptions, it's for the good of everyone. If you accept the terms of this then just say "yes"." "........yes." "Okay. The Genocide Timeline I spoke of. There are billions of timelines native to this particularly universe alone. There actually countless alternate universe out there with their own collection of timelines but that's not the focus of my research. Before I found this timeline in this universe I visited a particularly timeline. One that has something in common with this one: it's...unstable." "Unstable?" "I can't quite explain it in 20 words or less...but yes. You've noticed the micro-glitches. This timeline is holding together but I don't know for how long. Just like the previous one." "Oh no...what will happen to us?" "If anything you're likely proof of what happened to the last timeline to do so. Parts of it reconstituted, randomized, formed variations and became this timeline. But that's not the secret I'm about to tell you..." I stared longingly at one of the Golden Flowers. "The timelines are normally only accessible from a certain point onward. The moment the eighth child falls into the Underground. Anything before that...is...outside of even our agency's ability to reach. But unstable ones like this...give us a window into the past...as far back as the war with the humans...before the barrier...maybe even before that." Alphys muffled a gasp. "From the moment I wrapped up research on stable timelines in this universe I was intrigued by one thing...single word...six letters. A name." "..." I breathed on the mirror in front of my and then traced the letters spelling it out: A-S-R-I-E-L "The Prince." "The main variations between timelines are based on the choices of the eighth child. The Genocide Timelines...as you can guess...the child is guided by Chara's hatred for humanity and Determination to eliminate the enemy--anyone who stands in her way. Even...her own adopted parents. Regardless, they end in one absolute: nobody survives. The Timeline is Destroyed. And Chara gives the child the option to continue on, living with their choices...or offer their soul with the power of the "ERASE" so they may start over in a new timeline. Sometimes the child uses the "RESET" to try to undo their choices in the hopes of turning a Genocide Timeline into a Neutral or Pacifist one. I'm still trying to figure out the mechanics of this world's chrono-structure and why the eighth child has such control over time and space. How they're able to reload themselves in this world...even after they've died." "I...think I follow." "Genocide timelines have one absolute. Nobody lives. Well...the unstable timeline I came from..." I swallowed hard. "There was...an exception." "...?" "I was able to rescue someone...who was never meant to live in the first place. The circumstances that led up to it...made the timeline even more unstable but...we made it off world. To a safe place. Alphys. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" "........" "For nearly six months...this has been his world." I opened up the image on my T.A.O. link of all of us. All of us crowded around a very happy goat monster. His eyes were closed in a laughing grin so Alphys couldn't see the change in his eye color. The Dreemurrs all had those dark copper red eyes. The same as Chara; the eyes that her people supposedly called the eyes of a demon. But it was unmistakably him. Alphys covered her cheeks and gasped loudly. "This...is...!" "Alphys. I can't bring him back here. Not yet. Not in the state the world is in. Not with the King and Queen as they are. If I do...is life will be miserable. He'll blame himself. He'll grow lonely again...he'll wish to come back to our world. Who is to say he'll feel I'd abandoned him?" "Why.......why do you have so much trust in me? Why would you tell me this? Why?" "I have my reasons. But mainly because you'd already started to figure it out. Asking the line of questions which would have led to this was inevitable. As a scientist you must know this. You have plenty of secrets to keep and I'll safeguard them for you. I gave you my word. So...I ask you to grant me the same." "I'll do it. I won't breathe a word of this. It's...too unbelievable. But...are you sure you want to bring him to a timeline that isn't his?" "It's...the....*sniffle*...the right thing to do." I was getting emotional. Very emotional. I was starting to cry. "Even though you clearly don't want to do it." "...we've grown to be such close friends...he has a family...a life......how cruel is it to take all that away from him for a world he might not even want to remember? I've painted myself into a corner, Alphys. I let my emotions decide my actions. And now I don't know what to do. But I know this...if you love someone...if you truly care about them...you have to be able to let go......let them go. That's what...this Asriel learned in order to move after losing Chara." I sighed. "The best thing to do...is let him have a life...and mature to an age when the Underground isn't even a faint memory. When he's able to fend for himself. When he's ready to ask about his place of origin. Time will heal the wounds he still has. And in time I'd like to think Asgore and Toriel will both be a better state to receive him." "I...think that would be best. I...thought about what it would have been like if...if I succeeded at bringing the Prince back. I used to have such happy visions of the Royal Family coming back together...being happy again......seeing the Kingdom have hope once more. But...when...the vessel wouldn't respond...the days went by and by. And then I had no choice but to return it to Asgore...I guess he planted it in the garden where..." Alphys looked away. Planted where Asriel fell. I had learned a Monster's dust was always spread upon their favorite thing after death. And if my theory was right Asriel's dust, combined with sparks of Chara's life essence was absorbed into it. I speculated that Flowey became conscious in that spot. What happened from that point was up in the air but I could speculate. It made sense that he tried to seek out Chara which would eventually bring him to the Ruins where Toriel had Chara buried. From my previous encounters with other Timeline Floweys I'm guessing he never found any semblance of her. Depending on how far down she was buried, I'm guessing Flowey's roots couldn't stretch that deep...and even if they could, how would learning the truth that early affect him? "I've been keeping most of the True Lab in low power state lately...since I spend most of my time in the trash dump." Alphys led the way around the Sub-Lab sections to the power locks--four in all. Red, yellow, blue, and green. The trip was...nostalgic. But for the first time I didn't care for the trip down memory lane. I took only a short moment to take in things like the rows of refrigerators, the room filled with fans, the...hard-to-navigate room full of fog and...glitches I think...wait were those there to begin with? The room full of beds. Gaster's DT extraction machine...gods...its skull-shape...it looked almost exactly like...Omega Flowey's...! I'd see something like this when Absolute God of Hyperdeath made the transition between his evolved form to his winged deity form. I still didn't understand how it was all connected. And then there was...the TV room with the video tapes I had copied in other timelines. With the final key inserted, we returned to the Power Room doorway and entered. Alphys stood before the main switch for the elevator. I was silent for a bit...before I felt a large presence looming behind me. I turned around to see the Amalgamate...the fusion of the dog monsters, specifically stare down at me...with that gaping hole in its entire face. "Yeah, yeah. I know." I reached into my pocket and fished out a couple of dog treats I snagged from Doggo's pile while he was freaked out...it was embarrassing that Jon sometimes snacked on these back home. "You always get so sassy when you don't get fed on time." A quick feeding...and getting drenched in drool. "Eww." I sent a massive surge up and down my body, ionizing the air for a bit and evaporating the dog spittle. The Amalgamate was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Er...it's...unnerving how--" "Yeah. I'll explain another time." I looked away...then back at Alphys. "Alphys..." "You said you had another secret to show me--" I stepped back and de-morphed. An Alphys about freaked on the spot. "Y-Y-Y-You....n-not...I don't...h-h-HUMAN?!" "Half. I'm a Lycan. Ecotropian Werewolf. You saw from the scans, right? You said it yourself...my soul is more powerful than a monster's after absorbing a human soul. Enough to cross the barrier freely at will. I'm as human as I am monster." "Volt...why would you risk going to Asgore, knowing.......if...he finds out about your soul--" I turned away and looked over my shoulder. "I have no intention of losing my soul to him. And I have no intention of him losing his to Chara. I've already drastically altered the events of this timeline. I did my best but the Chronal Contamination is there. I'm part of your history, now. I've interacted and befriended. I've meddled and made a powerful enemy. All I can do is try to make this right." A good long period of silence. "Oh, that's right! Chara! I have updates for you on the matter." I remorphed. Sub-Entry 147: "Asgore (The Second Meeting)"/"The Barrier"/"Backed into a Corner": I exited the elevator and made my way. There was the Judgement Hall. Again no Sans...but rather...someone else was waiting. "Well. You're not who I was expecting." "Halt. State your business. What reason do you have to seek audience with King Asgore." Wow. Dressed in full armor, Undyne. "I come in peace. I have the appropriate paperwork." I held up the document. "Everything checks out." "Indeed. I won't be long. I have family business at home to tend to." "Hmm." "I need to explain to one of my relatives about anime. I don't know how to describe it to him in 20 words or less." "Tell him it's like cartoons but with guns." "Oh, hey! Thanks. That works. Anyway. I better be there to advise him before he tries searching for it on his own. Wouldn't want him to get a video of robots kissing, y'know. Am I right?" "Don't loiter around. The King is a busy man." "Yes, yes. Sorry to disturb you. I'll be on my way." I cheerfully went in, entering the Throne Room. There was Asgore. Again watering the flowers. "Ah. So you've returned, Dr. Volt Arcade." "It seems you're in better spirits today, Sire." Asgore set the watering can asside and wandered over to his throne at the foot of where the flower bed ended, oriented in the very center. A closer look revealed it had been moved from the left side. There was the faint impression of a spot on the right side where a second throne once stood. His throne was incredibly large but not all that lavish. The cushions were purple and the framework was gold. There was a Delta Rune embroidered in the back cushion. THe upper frame was shaped into curved spikey points...almost like shoulder pauldrons. The top was shaped vaguely like small horns with a crown in the center. He walked over to a second throne further back against the wall next to a window. It was covered up with a sheet. Toriel's throne. It had to be. "It once stood next to mine. Once at a time when we were...equals. There was a time...when...I thought that when the children were old enough they could each have a throne of their own. Then...the four of us could be a Royal Family together. For...ceremony and such." "It would have been nice to see." I followed behind. Asgore shuffled over to the covered throne, looked at it for a moment then walked through the doorway. "Your highness...?" "Would you like to see it?" "My liege?" "As a scientist I know you're very curious. It would be an opportunity for you to study it up close. That which has caused us so much grief...the bars of our prison..." "The Barrier." I looked down for a moment then nodded and followed down the corridor. The next rooms were nearly pitch black. I could only see the path on the ground. A dim blotch of light dotted the center of the room, but barely enough to light anything. Asgore turned right and kept going. I followed until I saw him enter the doorway. I followed close behind. In my nightmare...there really wasn't a description to it. It looked like a long hallway filled with weird white light. But as it stretched onward and onward...seemingly toward infinity it turned more and more like a strange twilight until it became complete blackness in the distance. There was definitely something...physically impeding Asgore from going further. Something solid but invisible. This was the nature of the barrier. As I stood there and watched, the bright white around began to fade toward the distance...then it began to brighten all over again. It was like the "hallway" was slowly drifting between dark and light. It was so mesmerizing. "This is it. This is what keeps us trapped down here." "A fascinating phenomenon." I scanned it with various tools from my pocket. Violet and Nikita could analyze the numbers later. "...my son crossed this barrier...twice. The second time he returned...and collapsed in the Throne Room." I bowed my head and thought back. "Soon I will see the surface...everyone will. This is the gift Asriel wanted to give us all." I thought back to the time shortly after Asriel had first come to Miranda. He barely spoke to us during that time, gradually opening up until the flood gates opened in Lupe's garden. There was one thing he said that stuck in my mind, shortly after the pizza night. Shortly after meeting Pit and Gadget. A moment when I saw his doubts start to coax him back to retreating into his emotional shell. ~~~~~~ "Why did you do all this for me? I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you." It was mere coincidence that his words were said by someone else. I could only respond with its matching quote. "You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing." - E.B. White, as spoken through a spider to a humble pig. A vision of Muffet briefly crossed my mind but it was the wisdom in the quote that I hoped would help Asriel. If I ever got him into a better state, I'd treat him to watching Charlotte's Web. "I've been...a friend to you? But...I haven't--" "Shhhh. Don't doubt what has only come naturally for you. You'll understand one day. I hope...I hope you consider me a friend to you as well." ".......it would...it would be nice to have a friend again but...I...I don't want to lose another one..." "I'm not going anywhere. And even if I did...we'd still be friends." ~~~~~ I snapped back to reality. "Time to go, Doctor." I turned to head back-- THWAAAAAAAACK! The red glow in the darkness had all the theatrical flair of a Sith's light saber weapon as it cut through the air and stabbed forth! "...heh..." Asgore glided his tongue over his fangs as his disturbing grin peeked out from underneath the shadow covering his eyes. I had only seen this twisted an expression from Mad Pierot Tongpoo since Spike Spiegel's brush with him during the run of Cowboy Beebop. "Gonna stop you right there, Chara. In both senses." I had stopped the neon red trident in its tracks, holding its tip between my index and middle fingers, pouring all of my will, all of my strength and all of my determination into the technique Bunnie had taught me for controlling, cancelling, and manipulating seemingly impossible forms of momentum. Especially from weapons. "However did you figure it out?" The voice had that familiar echo. "I knew from the very beginning, that's how I was ready for your attack just now. You put on a good act. The sob story about Asriel was a nice touch. You may be in a nearly 8 foot body, but you still come up short." "You have an answer for everything, don't you?" "I've been having the other Boss Monsters watch you like a hawk for a long time. Let's start with Undyne just a few minutes ago. I knew I was being watched. I knew you couldn't resist making sure you got there ahead of me so you were watching us from the shadows to make sure your plan was flawless. We had to watch our conversation very carefully as to not tip you off. And it completely escaped your attention. You know Undyne and Alphys are anime fanatics so you didn't pay it any heed when I asked the question about how to describe it to a relative. And that was what confirmed it. She said "cartoons with guns". That was the tip-off. As a member of the royal guard she was trained with close quarter combat. Hell she has a massive sword in her house. Had she said "cartoons with swords" I would have known I got here first." "Undyne...you traitor..." "Heh. That's a funny thing coming from you, Chara...from someone who led her brother, the Prince to his slaughter...then possessed your own mother AND now your own father to do your bidding. Did you really think she'd blindly follow your commands without question? Just because Asgore has been like a father to her? She'd never question his behavior because she's just that loyal? It doesn't work that way. She knows the man who took her in, trained her, made her what she is today. She'd know if something was wrong. She knows when her king has become a mere puppet to a demon." Outside the doorway, Undyne leaned up against the wall, arms at her sides, eye closed. A single tear stream ran down her scaly face. She grasped her helmet tightly. "Dammit all..." She thought to herself, trying to convince herself she wasn't deeply moved. That only babies cry. "Arcade...you better not let him die." She turned and walked down the hall, back out the throne room and to the Judgement Hall to wait for the Royal Guard troops to gather and be ready for the aftermath. "Well. What good's a captain of the royal guard without troops. I made to thin her ranks, one by one, on my way to the--" "And that's your second mistake." "What? Impossible. I saw them turn to dust when I systematically--" "You saw what we WANTED you to see. And you have Toriel to thank for that." "What...?!... Mom...?! HOW?!" "She's a Dreemurr. And Dreemurrs have the most powerful magic in the kingdom. It took her a while to find the right tomes, walk her way through the practices of the days before the war or the barrier, and figure out how to mix the right potions and apply her healing abilities to them. She came up with a remarkable concoction that accomplished many things and it was secretly slipped into their food during their downtime at Grillby's. He was more than willing to cooperate for the queen. She smuggled it to Snowdin Town with the help of Muffet's spider friends. They carried small amounts of the ingredients to the back door of Grillby's and let him take care of the rest. The first effect the potion, once triggered, was induce temporary sleep to give the illusion of falling. The second thing was to create an illusion with a powdery smokescreen to make them appear to have turned to dust. They'd appear invisible with the illusion of a mound of dust where they lay. The third was to act as a combination protection and healing spell. No matter how much damage one would take, it would still leave 1 HP as long as you were in the area. As soon as you left the final effect would kick in and restore to full HP. There they'd wake up and report their strange encounters, each checking in while you were on your way to Asgore's room. And all this was triggered the moment the first attack hit. Quite a complicated array of spells and effects but the end purpose was accomplished--it stopped your genocide run from even starting." "Mother...hah...hah...hah........how could you do this...you'll pay...you'll--" "But I knew you were on the move even before Undyne and Toriel had any part to play. All thanks to Alphys and Mettaton. You see, Alphys modified her camera network with parts from the P.K.E. meter you destroyed with my prototype proton pack. It let her know the moment your valence was detected. We had Onion-san secretly attach the devices to cameras all around Waterfall, Doggo mod them in Snowdin, and the guards in Hotland do the rest. Mettaton turned to his cousin, Napstablook to be your shadow all this time and report to him who in turn reported to Alphys since the cameras can't see you any more than anyone still alive. It takes a ghost to catch a ghost." "The tin can...and the lizard......heh...never would have figured them to act so quick to get there revenge." "And for the cherry on top, Undyne even called upon Monster Kid to keep watch for anything suspicious. Surely you noticed he'd been asking for a lot of autographs from Undyne lately. The paper he carried around in his mouth had a daily report of the times he saw anyone in the Royal Guard act strangely. Between all of that surveillance, Undyne and Alphys have a very detailed record everything you did after escaping the Core. You couldn't pick your nose without us knowing about it. All without starting a panic. But do you know who you really have to thank for putting a monkey wrench in the plans? Non other than your on-again, off-again partner. That's right. Frisk is the last piece of the puzzle. You got so fed up with them that you found a way to sever your link with them. And while this made it a lot harder to track you since Alphys' surveillance was geared for humans of the living persuasion, we knew anywhere that Frisk went was safe from you. Your obsession with getting to Asgore and making everyone pay completely distracted you from Frisk all this time. I noticed it when you possessed Alphys. I noticed when you took control of Mettaton NEO. You stopped tormenting Frisk all the way back to our first talk with Goat Mom. Even if they didn't know it...Frisk was a big help to all us." "Everyone...against me......." Chara-Asgore lowered their head. "Well. I've certainly given this the Mysteries Inc. touch. Why don't we just get to the point." "Yes. Let's." Not-Asgore chuckled. "At last. I was tired of being a human and a ghost. Now...now I've got my wish. King of all Monsters. Soon to become an absolute god." "This sounds all too familiar." Chara-Asgore yanked the trident back. "And soon is NOW!" Asgore gloated as the seven trap doors in the ground opened and the seven platforms rose up... "NO!!!" Not-Asgore shouted when he saw the soul containers were not there. "One last thing. Just as one final precaution...I had Alphys take the six souls back to the True Lab. I just knew you couldn't resist pulling this trump card out early." "Damn you...!" The possessed Asgore raised the neon red weapon and attempted to swing again. :determination: (Music Link) *CLANG* My zanpakuto clashed against the weapon. The force of it was so great my arm was throbbing from the pain of just trying to block. "Any last words, Arcade?" "How about four?" "Hmm?" "Discharge...Kaminarioh no Danganken!" Sub-Entry 148: "It means King in the Mountain": Asgore winced hard as lightning snaked down the spear, coiling around it rather than through it. The magic must've been warping the ionizing effect but it was still enough to carry the charge through his hand and up his arm. "Come then, Chara. Before this battle is over, even in the body of the "bergentrückung" you can't win." And so we clashed and clashed hard. Blow after blow, block after block, perry after perry, strike after strike. After seeing we were evenly matched, the battle between a time-space-dimension travelling werewolf and the King in the Mountain shifted gears. :determination: (Music Link) Chara fell back on Asgore's familiar repetoir. And her being in control didn't make them any less predictable. I frowned and weaved my way through the alternating blue and orange attacks, stopping and moving as necessary. There were the familiar lava serpents with the glove-shaped heads, coming in pairs. The spinning rings of flame closed in, flawed by small gaps I could dodge through. Helix-shaped strings of fireballs poured forth, filling the air with intense heat. And the sudden explanation-point-warnings telegraphed the downpour of flames that even I wouldn't be able to dodge if I didn't get out of the way. "You dodge as well as Frisk. Not bad for a half-breed mongrel." Half-breed? There was an all too familiar slur from the dark day my village of birth was razed to ground and I was left to perish. That hit below the belt. Ohhhh, she was going to turn this into a race thing. Oh no. I was not going to let that slide. Sorry, Asgore. I drew back and smashed my knuckles into the monster king's forehead with a crack and a zap as the Thunder Knuckledusters wrapped around each set of fingers. With a 1-2, the last things Chara saw before her vision was blinded by pain was "I Pity" and then "You Fool". Dammit, Violet. You totally owed me five GP now. A string of curse words followed. Despite the knux, I maintained a grip on my zanpakutou and kept trying to disarm him until I was the one disarmed...and suddenly I found myself in the grip of his arms in an unsightly, crushing bearhug. "I wonder how long it'll take your rib cage to regenerate once I crush it into your lungs and heart?" I wheezed a chuckle. "Golly. You just make this too easy." "Must be the oxygen deprivation getting to you. How do you figure, Arcade?" "The king may be wearing battle armor. But it's a pretty poor choice in metal composition." "I think gold suits me. Royalty deserves only the finest--" "I think you fell asleep in science class, missy. Don't you know what are used to connect silicon chips to the terminals inside microchips?" "...???...........!!!!" Chara realized it too late as the goat king's body found itself lit up with a few hundred volts at 30 amps. More than an accurate level of current to be considered torture. Chara-Asgore released me and clutched a golden pauldron, gnashing his fangs in rage. The electricity was so intense at the points of contact the gold metal had overheated and melted slightly. Besides being a good conductor, gold was a pretty soft material with a fairly low melting point. Thank you, Mr. Wizard's World. "How long do you think you can hold back? You might not be able to die but Asgore can. And the Monsters of the Underground? They'll eat you alive if he becomes a pile of dust." Oh. Now she remembers she has a hostage. Great. "You flinched." And then I felt myself inside of a flame. "Ngh....toasty." I winced, fighting back the pain. I created a electric explosion at my epicenter, ionizing and expanding the air around me suddenly, the sudden oxygen loss snuffing the flames. Not sure how that even worked on magical flames but I wasn't about to argue. Not-Asgore readied another swarm of fire. "You know between the elementals, against fire..." CRASH!! KA-WHUMPH! "ARRRRRRRRRGH!" "Water always wins." I clutched a second holy water bomb. Simon Belmont be proud. I lugged several more. The magic of my holy water flasks didn't like Asgore's much as I could tell. Or maybe it was reacting to the evil in Chara's soul/spirit. Either way...he was having a bad time. "I think you underestimate my ability to wear even Asgore down. If Frisk can do it, then why can't I?" It was true. Frisk would never have a choice against Asgore. There was no mercy to be found until he was weakened to his last HP. The fight dragged on and I found myself not just using my Soul Slayer and electric powers, but also my karate moves, aiming for pressure points and the like. I was noticing Asgore start to sweat as much as Sans in the Judgement Hall during a Genocide Run. Despite his greater size, strength, power, and magical prowess, he was finding himself evenly matched against my resourcefulness and determination. At least until he knocked me to the ground and dug his heel into my chest. "This game is getting boring. Let's incapacitate you, shall we?" "You give determination a bad name..." I panted. "Well...you can't spell determination...without termination." the trident spun in Chara-Asgore's grasp. "When you come back to life, I'll make sure the prison accommodations are to your disliking." "You're all heart..." "No. I'm all LOVE. You know which kind." The trident raised above my head. "I'd say you hurt to ones you love but...frankly I hate you so much right now." "You won't get a Christmas card from me, either." I growled before feeling the air forced out of my lungs as Asgore's weight pressed down harder. "I'll bear that in mind while I'm having my reunion with--" Chara started as the spear thrust down...then suddenly stopped a centimeter from the cornea of my eye. I watched as Asgore's eyes were fixated on my lab coat pocket...peeking out was the sunflower. His hands began to tremble and his breathing became...unsteady for a bit. "A...A...Asriel...!" I saw his eyes start to water up. He clutched his face with his empty hand. "Impossible! Asgore...Asgore can't possibly be resisting me! His mind is in shambles! What is this feeling overcoming--!" "Asriel...I...I........I............" Asgore was hanging on the word, unable to finish his thought. "I...I don't want to hurt anyone......I just want to see my wife...I just want to see my son..." "Damn you, Dad......Asgore! Obey me! I am...!" "Ch...Chara...? No...wh-what...m-madness is this...?!" He looked into my eyes. "Doctor? What am I doing?" He struggled to wrestle control of the weapon from Chara. "Please...stop...this...stop...me...!" I breathed deep as I felt Asgore's weight suddenly shift and in that instant I siezed the moment and rose up with a desperate technique, channeling all of my focus and strength to pin-point accurate. I followed the jutsu's hand signs to the last character before unleashing the full force of the technique that hit a Hell of a lot harder than one could possibly expect. I focused it all through the pinky fingers on each hand and jabbed them both into very specific spots on Asgore's torso. The sound in the room suddenly stopped as a shockwave ring burst from the points of impact. A second or two passed before I saw the armor crumple and dent. In the next moment Asgore found himself smashing into the wall, next to the doorway entrance, craterizing it. His back arched as his eyes bugged out and he let out an unholy scream that lasted for a good long time. Outside the palace, Toriel pressed her back against the wall and hung her head underneath her hooded cloak. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Please...hang in there, Gore-y." She uttered. Asgore dropped to his knees and then collapsed face first. I checked his HP with my scanner glass. Above zero. Weakened but alive. "Impossible..." I heard the unholy echo. "IMPOSSIBLE! Even in Dad's mighty body...even with all that power...I still can't defeat you?! You...you...I hate you...I hate you so much! Graaaaaarrgh! I hate your face! I KILL YOU DEAD!" By this time Chara's frustration was making it hard for her to form cognative thoughts. It was all rage by this point. Her spirit rose from Asgore's body. Sub-Entry 149: "Chara's Last Stand...?": "I warned you, Chara. Time after time. You ignore me and you rebel against what you know is not the correct solution to the problem." "Shut...shut up!" "Last time was strike three. I don't think you grasp how baseball works. You were out before this battle even began." "You can't make me give up! I'll find another way! I'll have my revenge! Asriel will be mine! Mine! Mine! MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" I sighed. "I see it all now. You don't just learn nothing. It's more than that. Like Jon Snow...you KNOW nothing." I unlatched the Ecto Trap I acquired from Dr. Holtzmann. "Well. If we're going to do this final dance. Let's put all our cards on the table!" She roared as she turned into her black ichor, dripping form. "You know that doesn't scare me--" And suddenly she vomited up buckets of the black ichor drenching me in slime. "...that on the other hand pisses me off somewhat." I said, not taking chances and rising myself off with holy water from the bottles. The goop sizzled and dissolved quickly. "That was just petty and rude." I said as I unfolded the Proton Pack onto my back, the straps and belt forming around my shoulders and waist. "You should see your face right now." Chara cackled. "Really. Did it look something like this?" I quick-drew the Plasma Shotgun without warning and quickfired, nailing Chara dead center and sending her ROCKETING through the doorway into the hallway and through the opposite wall. If my calculations were right, if the angle I shot her at was on target, she should have crashed through the back of the Throne Room, just grazing the top of Toriel's throne. I hurred down the corridors and back into the Throne Room where Chara was shaking off the punch of the weapon originally meant to be used by Erin Gilbert. I powered up the neutrona wand and fired. Chara dodged immediately, floating around the room. I swept the beam around, carbon scoring the walls, shattering the stained glass windows, and lacerating patches of flowers in the floor. Again, sorry, Asgore. I'd fix this with the proper S.T.C. tools afterward. "I'm not worn down from battle like last time! You're not going to lasso me with that stupid laser of yours!" She was right. This time she was going to strike back at me in her spirit form. :termination: (Music Link) I growled and kept torching the room in an attempt to snare her. "Let's see you dodge this." I taunted as I engaged the Meson Collider's reactor, large sections and tesla coils of the pack suddenly opening up and extending, arcs and sparks jumping across the conduits and coils. I opened fire, as the Meson Streams suddenly bent and homed in Chara, following her like iron to a magnet. Several of the pulses crashed into her mercilessly. Chara responded with a string of F-bombs and other foul swears. "Wow. Just think. You actually kissed your mother with that mouth." I wrinkled my snoot. "You think I say sh--(FLOWEY CACKLE) that makes you blush? My biological mother said sh--(FLOWEY CACKLE) that made ME blush!" She hissed. "You'll get no sympathy from me." I said, quoting Fire Emblem's Ike. Chara dove into Toriel's throne...actually animating it and lifting it with telekinesis and hurling it at me. "Textbook poltergeist move, Chara!" I dove out of the way and switched to the Stasis Stream and zapped it with the straight, black-light beam, freezing it in mid air. Suffice to say I had experience with busting poltergeists; it was a fact that poltergeists can't actually hurt you. But anything they could telekinetically levitate sure could. I yanked out one more holy water bomb and focused through it in order to use Item Crash. The rain came down and so did Tori's throne--into splintered pieces. She wouldn't miss it but Asgore would have my head when he saw what happened to it. Chara dove at me again, puking up another deluge of ichor. This time I sidestepped it. "Poor choice." I snagged her with the capture stream. "Your weapons are getting weaker, Arcade! You think I can't break out of this?!" The proton stream strained. "You're right. Let me charge you up!" I pulled the trigger for the Boson Darts, sending a massive ball of densely, superheated boson clusters THROUGH the proton stream. Chara ignited in an oxygen flare of neon blue plasma flames as the bosons exploded through her. She thrust out a hand and I heard something in back of the accelerator pack snap and spark. I saw the Blast Stream and Capture Stream indicators go out. "Gonna be difficult, huh?" I replaced the rifle momentarily and yanked the units frim the bottom of the pack. As a little nod to Holtzmann, I gave each of the Ecto Whip units a lick before I unleashed proton Hell on Chara, grabbing, flinging, and lashing her repeatedly until the units overheated. Darn...knew I should have added heat sinks to those power transistors. Chara tried to heat toward the ceiling. I jumped to the wall and kicked off upward as I slid on the Proton Glove and somersaulted above her and SMASHED her in the top of the head sending her straight down and followed up with a pair of Ecto Grenades. I lost sight of her in the resulting explosions. "I won't lose to you!" I landed and swept my gaze around before I felt myself telekinesis-shoved into the wall and then the pieces of Tori's throne hurled at me. Feeling the impending danger nip at my heals, I tumbled and selected my next weapon. "You know I could use some paptato chisps. I even brought my own...chipper." I fired up the Ghost Chipper and let the suction take hold. "No, no, nooooo!" Chara clawed at the air, trying to fight the vortex before she found herself drawn through the machine and spat out the other end as clusters of ectoplasm and psychic turbulence. "On second thought. I eat too much junk food anyway." "You think that's funny?!" Chara roared as she reconstituted. "I'd say I'm having the slime of my life." I joked as I wiped some more of the goop off of my lab coat. "You monsters...you are beneath me! I am going to be a god, you dull creature. I will not be bullied by--" Chara found herself suddenly grappled and smashed back and forth into the ground over and over and over until she was cratered. "You know...I'm not even going to quote the Hulk on this one, pip-squeak." I stood over her. In the time she had spent yammering, I managed to install a plasma canister into the emergency port and pump it through the Capture Stream. "You're too young for that drink, anyway." I replaced the neutrona wand. "I'll KILL YOU--!" Chara started to rise up from the crater. "It's time you knew just how much I've been holding back. It's time I showed you MY Special Attack!" I knelt down on one knee, wrapped a hand around my fist, drew my arms back behind my head then slammed my two-handed hammer into the ground. "LIGHTSTORM RAVAGE!" A rippling tentacle of white lightning seared through the ground, tearing a fissure into the ground before stopping underneath Chara. There was a delay before a white shaft of light erupted at the epicenter, swallowing the evil ghost up in a tower of light, a tangle of lightning spiraling around it as it broke through the ceiling of the castle and out into the "sky", splashing across the ceiling of the barrier. Chara opened her mouth and eyes as wide as they could go to scream. (No Audio) When there was sound again Chara lay in the crater, looking up at me. I turned my back on her. I really struggled to keep her from seeing how much that took out of me. I was dead on my feet but I had to keep my cool for just a bit longer. "Don't turn your back on me...this isn't over." "Not yet, it's not." "All I have to do is find another body to jump into. They won't even see it coming." Chara started to pick herself out of the crater. "Oh no? NAPSTABLOOK! NOW!" Sub-Entry 150: "Ghost Busted"/"Time To Go Home Again": "Wha--" And then Chara yelped as she felt herself being drenched by falling tears. Above her hovered the form of Napstablook. "You think...a lesser ghosts' tears are going to finish me off?" "Sorry...about this...but...I won't...let you hurt...my cousin...again..." "His tears aren't meant to finish you off..." That was when we heard-- "YOU!" Undyne pointed her spear. "Wh...what?! She can...see me?!" That's when she realized Napstablook's tears turned her visible to anyone who didn't have Soul Reaper vision or extra sensory perception like Frisk. Undyne took only a moment to check on Asgore. "I kept my word, Undyne. He's okay." Undyne gave a grin and a thumbs up before turning back to Chara. "I'll have your head on my spear you little PUNK!" "Do you even LISTEN to yourself, you dumbass! You can't hurt a ghost! You can't scare me anymore--" "I'm very disappointed in you, my child." Chara whirled. "M...Mom?!" Toriel pulled off her hood. "You are in very big trouble, Chara Dreemurr." "N-no...! You c-can't do anything to me! And even if you could...you wouldn't do anything to your daughter--" Toriel's eyes disappeared under the mysterious shadow. She would take no pleasure in what she was about to do next. Chara was not above the consequences. And consequences can be very permanent. "......my child...I have no daughter." "Wha...what? C'mon...quit joking around, m--" "I disown you. For the good of my people, you will renounce your title as princess of this kingdom. As the queen of all monsters, I banish you from our kingdom. When you leave this world. Do not come back. Ever. You were loved...but you did not love in return. You sewed hate among my people and deliberately turned the the man I loved into a horrible beast. You showed no remorse and given the chance you would do it all over again." "You...you can't mean that--" Chara was answered with a fireball. It passed through her of course but the effect was no less. "Why did you take my son away from me?" "It was...it was an accident--" "LIAR!" Undyne snapped. "I saw the state of the Prince when he stumbled back into the castle. Monsters don't get accidentally shot with that many bullets and arrows and cut up with that many swords and such." "Was it an accident that he stumbled home filled with weapons of the human world...carrying your bleeding corpse? I think not. Your soul was not accidentally absorbed by Asriel. You did not accidentally cross the barrier, holding your own body. You did not accidentally go to the middle of your own village and lead my poor angel to his death. And you did not accidentally try to convince Asgore to declare war on the humans before hand." Tears rolled down Toriel's face. "But to think...you possessed me and had me do terrible things to the child...for your own selfish games......that was the final straw. I might have shed tears for you had I known of your past. But they do not excuse your choices. It is cruel and harsh of me but I do what I must for the good of my people. Ha...ha......I suppose...I'm just as terrible as Asgore in a way." Chara turned and tried to head through the doorway back to the Barrier room. "That's far enough, Chara, darling." Mettaton EX was leaning up against the door frame, flexible arms crossed and eyes closed. Alphys had put a rush job on Mettaton EX's repairs after losing to Frisk it would seem. "Y-Y-You've caused us enough p-pain and s-suffering." Alphys forced herself to stand straight instead of her hunched pangolin stance. She looked toward me at the far right of the room then whirled, thinking she could dive out through the window-- CRASH. "Nyeheheheh! You will not be escaping, evil spirit! I, the Great Papyrus, will stop you!" Chara let out a frustrated scoff. "Why can't any of you just die?!" "You've been exposed as a liar, a traitor, a murderer, a fraud, and a coward. It's time for you to go." I dropped the mark III Ecto Trap of Holtzmann's design, deployed the pedal and kicked the device toward her. "No...I won't let you stop me from getting to Asriel." Toriel turned away. "Lying doesn't become you, Chara. It will not get you back into my graces. "What a sorry little punk." Undyne dispelled her spear. "The Prince is dead. Just g-give up, Chara. There's n-nothing more for you." Thanks for covering for me, Alphys. "No! He's alive! This freak in the lab coat is lying to you! Asriel's alive and on another planet!" "Oh that's a good one, sweetie. Another planet. And I thought my science fiction spin off was a bit of a tough script to swallow. Aliens? That's just adorable." "The human ghost must not be feeling well. I know! I shall bring some of my famous spaghetti...wait, do ghosts even eat spaghetti?" Papyrus looked off to the side. "I'll show you...I'll show you all!" Chara's face began melting again...and the ichor kept coming...just like my nightmare. She raised her hands to the sky...and the ceiling started coming down. Oh crap...had her telekinesis evolved this far? "We have to run! Help me get Asgore out of here!" Mettaton, Undyne, Papyrus, and I all lifted and hoisted Asgore. Gods, he's really got to lay off the scones! We hurtled out into the Judgement Hall before it all came down. A moment of silence before my coughing fit broke the silence. Alphys was first to wake and was checking on Asgore already. "He'll be okay." "This whole situation was just...horrible for him. I think...it would be merciful if he didn't remember this day." I pulled my neuralizer pen out. "What is that?" "Alphys, cover your eyes a moment." I said as I pulled Asgore's eyes open. I set the device for several hours....close to half of the day...maybe a little more. I donned my shades and gave him a dose. "You can look now." "What...was that?" "I erased his memory of today. He won't remember what Chara put him through." "That's..." "I know." Toriel and the others stirred at that moment. "He's going to be okay." I assured. Toriel sighed. "This is the only favor I will do for you, Asgore. This does not make us friends. It merely...settles the debt." She began healing him. "You will live and endure your punishment for your crimes against the children. That is my final decree as Queen." She looked at me...sobbed then wrapped her arms around me and cried. "What have I done...I...I abandoned my child. I've already failed as a mother...now I'm completely unworthy of motherhood." I comforted as best I could. This was...a pretty bad setback for her. "Dammit...Chara's gone." Undyne tore through the rubble of the throne room. "We will...have much explaining to do when he wakes up." "Oh my god! We broke the king's palace! He's going to be so mad......oh no! Now I'll never get to be in the Royal Guard! My circle of friends will remain stagnate..." "Papyrus..." Undyne rubbed her forehead. "Not necessarily. L-Leave this to the Doctor and me. We might have ways to c-clean this up before he notices." "Whoah, you can do that, Alphys?" "Never fear. The power of SCIENCE is here." I boasted rather lightheartedly. "Toriel, you need to head back to the ruins before Asgore wakes up. Undyne, you better mobilize the troops to stay hot on Chara's trail." "Thank you, Doctor." Toriel bid farewell with our special hand sign--the heart-gesture. "Nghhh....! I don't like taking orders from you...but I hate that little ghost brat a lot more." And sure enough with my S.T.C. tools, and Alphy's know-how we reverted the entire throne room and everything else to the way it was several hours ago. And then we headed back to the lab. I asked Undyne, Alphys, and Toriel all to give my thanks to everyone who helped. Mettaton passed word on to Napstablook for me. Asgore woke up soon with no memory of what happened. Meanwhile... "I'll...show them...I'll show them all--" Chara's spirit form was barely holding together. She stopped in her tracks. "You." "You seem a little stressed, kiddo. Your little stunt certainly answers a lot of questions about some things Papyrus said after coming home from Hotland not long ago. Things that didn't quite make sense. But after some thinking...a lot of things started making sense......things like...resets and timelines and little yellow talking flowers......and a ghost with red eyes and rosey cheeks." "Get....out...of my way..." "Hmm...nah. I'm too lazy to move." "You're not going to stop me. I'm not about to be ridiculed by a Smiley Trashbag." "Heh. That's hilarious, kid. A real rib-tickler. But y'know. I don't think you'll be going anywhere. Nah. I don't really want the Underground Social Network abuzz with the headlines saying on this date, at this time, a comedian died. It'd really put Paps in a bad place. So why don't I ask you a question, now?" Chara formed the True Knife. "You wanna have a bad time?" :integrity: (Music Link) Sans' eye lit up with that familiar blue glow as the form of a pair of Gaster Blasters materialized in front of Chara. This had happened in so many other timelines. A lazybones who was far more dangerous than he'd ever let on against a true megalomaniac. "You can't kill a ghost, you stupid sack of bones." "Yeah? Well I certainly had an eye-socket-full of some very interesting things that happened in the Capital. And you know...it doesn't take a quantum physicist to figure out how to...adapt certain attacks. Why don't we put my modifications to the test?" "Only one of us is getting out of here." "It's a beautiful day...ahhh, you already know this one, don't ya? Well. Since you already deserve to be burning in Hell...why don't you let me arrange the meeting......and Chara? This is for messing with Paps in Hotland. Get dunked on..." And so, a bit later, back at the lab... "She got away again. But don't worry. We'll get her next time." "I feel a lot better about things, Dr. Arcade......Volt." "And?" "And...I'm sorry but I have to keep my secrets a little longer. And yours as well." "I appreciate that." "What will you do now?" "Head back to my home...and tend to the Prince. Well...ex-Prince. He's just a normal kid now. And he's so happy. I...I don't know how I'll ever take him away from all that he has just to bring him back to a place he thinks is...gone." "You're right, Doctor. It is too soon. He wouldn't adapt to this place. He needs time. He needs to come back when his slate is completely clean. When he's mature and can handle the truth." "Well. Good luck to you as well, Doctor. Keep your eyes open for Chara and keep this little alliance of ours going. We'll get a happy ending for everyone, yet." I made my way to the rooftop and got in the Deloreon and started her up. It backfired several times before stalling. "Aww, come on...not now of all times." I started the car several times until the engine finally turned over with a massive backblast from the tailpipe. "Dammit...I know you're an old car, but come on. I just had my mentor service you. Well...can't take you back to the X-Vault now. Better bring you to town so I can work on you in the vehicle bay in my spare time." I hit the hover conversion and took to the air and accelerated to 88 MPH. Alphys waved goodbye and turned. "What the...eww..." She looked down at the ground, grimmacing at what she stepped in. "Looks like the Doctor needs to check his time machine for an oil leak." She wiped the black goop from her foot then headed back downstairs. Chapter 16 Back to Part 2 Back to Project: Lost Dreemurr